A Xenomorph in New York City
by Erich Zann III
Summary: There's an infestation. In one of the biggest cities in the world. It's unknown who the first victim was, but whoever they were, they wouldn't be the last, and now, it's a race against time to wipe out an ever growing hive of the universe's ultimate predator before it turns all of New York's 8.5 million citizens into its hive, at which point it will be all but unstoppable.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Augh!" A voice rang out through the New York City evening, the waning light reflecting on the puddles on the ground from the rain that had pelted the city for the past week almost. A young man jetted up, looking around anxiously, noticing that night was falling and he didn't remember how he had gotten there. Had he been sleeping on the pavement? That didn't seem like him.

But the dream he had been having. It felt like he was suffocating. It was dark and cold, like he was in a deep ocean. He was freezing, and it felt like death. He was sure in the dream that he was going to die painfully. It was just a dream though, right? He felt a strange anxiety, a strange dread that wouldn't leave him alone. He needed to calm himself down.

As suddenly as he had become so anxious, he felt a strange tingle in his throat. He felt his face. There were strange bruised areas that felt like they were still fresh. He felt along them, trying to determine the pattern. It was a strange spiderlike pattern, and there was a pattern directly wrapped around his throat, but the pattern wasn't around his eyes, nose or… mouth. He felt his throat. It was sore, and tender when he touched it… And he was starving.

Being down by the waterfront, there wasn't much around for him to eat. He needed to hurry, or he was going to pass out. He was already feeling dizzy and there was a strange pain in his chest. Maybe he was delirious and it was actually in his stomach. He stood up and started running, ignoring the fact that there were dozens of people who were clearly homeless lying on the ground. They weren't dead. It was easy to see their chests rising and falling as if they were in a deep, deep sleep.

If his watch was correct, it was only 7 pm. Even the homeless wouldn't be asleep yet. He didn't pay it much attention, though. He kept running. He was cold, too. It was a chilly night in early spring and the dew would surely turn to frost overnight. As he made it into his favorite Italian restaurant, he was seated fairly quickly, and he ordered enough food for three, plowing right through the bread and soup they brought him as an appetizer.

Then when they brought his entrees, he dug right into the chicken parmesan with reckless abandon, tearing off pierces with his fork and knife, then moving onto the spaghetti alfredo, eating most of that as well. He couldn't explain why he was so hungry, or what was happening. As he continued eating, the pain in his chest seemed to continue. Finally, he finished dinner, and had a few drinks. He needed something strong to take the edge off and he paid his tab, heading out and walking home.

"It was good to have you at our restaurant again, Mr. McCray. We hope to see you again soon." The Maitre D' said politely.

"Oh, I'm sure I will be back." Adam said. It was far easier than going all the way from southern Manhattan to his house in the Bronx. The amount of time it took, hopping from subway to subway was over an hour.

But it was a good job. He was the president of a shipping company, and they needed him down by the docks in his office most days. He was lucky to be able to get home to his wife and kids by 8. He checked his watch. 9 pm.

"Shit…" Sammy is going to kill me." He muttered under his breath, walking into the subway station and clocking his ticket at the entry, hopping on the subway.

His thoughts were racing, so he didn't even notice the time going by

Finally, he made it to his stop and got off, taking a taxi the rest of the way home. He was exhausted. He just wanted to go back to sleep and take an 18 hour sleep. He had to help his kids with homework, though. He had three children. Two girls, twins and one boy. The girls were 13 and the boy was 8. He loved them so much. He walked in and suddenly, he found a red haired woman hugging him tightly.

"Where were you! Do you know the police have been looking for you for almost two days! They almost gave up your search. Some of them were suggesting that they change the search to looking for a dead body! I was so scared!" Sammy sobbed, tears streaming down her fair cheeks.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I don't know exactly what happened. I just woke up maybe four hours ago. I was starving so I got some dinner and a few drinks to take the edge off. Then I came home.

"Are the kids alright?"

"The girls are scared. They're afraid their daddy has been hurt. You should go see them."

"And Finny?" McCray asked. Sammy looked uncertain.

"You know Finny… He has to be strong. He won't admit he was scared too. But I can see it in him. You need to talk to them. Kids! Come down here!"

"Daddy!" Alice cried, running and hugging McCray, who took the girls in his arms. Finny looked at his father reproachfully.  
"Where were you, Dad?" He asked. McCray sighed.

"I'm not entirely sure. I got knocked out somehow and when I woke up, I remembered really dark, cold dreams about suffocating in a huge, ice cold ocean. There were stranger creatures than any I've seen in my life. They had long tails and spidery legs and pincers where their mouths would be. One of them attacked me and I suddenly woke up.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get home. You know there's nowhere I'd rather be than with you guys."

"Why do you work so far away then, Daddy? You missed my piano recital last night!" Alice complained. McCray sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Alice. I promise I'll be at the next one if I have to fly there myself. Just imagine me flapping my arms and everyone looking and pointing at me."

The girls laughed at this.

"Oh, Daddy! You can't fly like that! You need wings like Icarus!"

"Alice… Icarus failed at flying. He flew too close to the sun and his wings fell apart. Though that would have been bound to happen even if he stayed fairly low and flew on a cool day. If the day was sunny, the wax would've melted at the same rate regardless. The plan was doomed to fail." Lizzie said.

"Oh, Lizzie! You're so dark! Can't you just enjoy the stories?" Alice asked. Lizzie smiled a little bit. Lizzie had taken recently to a goth phase. She had dark eyeliner on and painted her nails black. She had cut her own hair into a strange do that didn't seem practical. She wore heavy clothes that didn't really suit the season and her poetry and stories ran to the depressing and dark. She had recently started seeing a boy that was two years older than her.

Both McCray and Sammy were strongly against the relationship. But the boy claimed to have been a vampire in a previous life, and for some reason (they couldn't figure out what), that was extremely appealing to Lizzie. They didn't want to push their daughter too much lest they drive her further into the boy's arms. So far, there was no evidence that they were doing anything more inappropriate than kissing and holding hands. But McCray was keeping a close eye on the boy.

"Sorry, Alice… I forgot that you prefer fairy tales. Stop me if you've heard the one where the evil stepmother has to dance in red hot irons to her own death." Elizabeth said. Alice gasped, horrified at the thought.

"Lizzie! What are you talking about? That's not in any fairy tales!"

"The Grimm Brothers created very dark stories. In the Grimm version of Snow White, the Evil Queen attempts to murder Snow White and the dwarves have their revenge by forcing her to dance in red hot irons until she dies."

"Elizabeth Ann McCray!" Sammy snapped angrily.

"Where are you hearing these horrible stories? What supposedly responsible adult would think that was appropriate to tell a thirteen year old stories like this!"

"Take a pill, Mommy… Loki told me the stories. He was having a get together with his Coven and he invited me to introduce me to them. He wants to initiate me into the Night."

First of all, McCray felt fairly certain that Loki wasn't the boy's real name, but he had never heard him called anything else, and Elizabeth idolized him. But second of all, this was the last straw. No punk teenager was going to initiate his daughter into anything, especially with names like Coven and the Night.

"That's it! Lizzie, sweetie. We've been very patient with your infatuation with this boy…"

"Infatuation? It's true love! He says we were soul mates in a previous life! He was a Vampire and I was a sorceress and our forbidden love was opposed by everyone, but we were strong enough then to withstand their hatred! And I'm strong enough now to withstand yours!" Lizzie cried.

"I know you're strong… But honey, he's in high school. You're barely in eighth grade, and I don't really care for the kind of activities he's introducing you to."

"I knew you wouldn't understand! You just want me to be miserable! You can't keep us apart! I hate you, Daddy! I hope you die!" She yelled, running to her room, sobbing furiously. McCray sighed.

"I probably could've handled that better… But I didn't like where her story about her boyfriend's coven and the initiation and all that was going.

"I don't want to wake up one day and find in the morning newspaper that she was killed by some bizarre murder cult… Why am I still hungry? I just had a huge dinner. Honey, we can keep talking but I need to eat." McCray said. Sammy nodded.

"I understand, Ian…" his wife said.

"Normally, I would just let this phase of hers pass, but she seems to be getting in way deeper than she can handle. Let me go talk to her." Sammy said, heading out to Lizzie's room, knocking on the door while Ian sat down on the couch and turned on the television with a huge submarine sandwich. He wasn't usually such a glutton. But he was starving tonight. He would have to go to the doctor tomorrow to make sure there were no parasites in his stomach or anything.

Sleeping on the ground in New York couldn't have done him any good. And if he ended up ingesting something that gave him parasites, he should get it looked at as soon as possible.

"Top story tonight… At least thirty strange deaths around the city. Families say that their loved ones disappeared for as long as three days and came home with strangely big appetites. Unfortunately, their reunions were short lived.

"In all cases, a creature burst out of their chest, killing the victim. The authorities have been unable to capture any of the creatures. Animal Control came close, but the creature ripped the end of its tail off and the torn appendage spat acid at the workers. Since then, there is a strong warning in place. If you come across any creatures, large or small that you cannot identify, do not approach. They should be considered hostile and extremely dangerous.

"If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, including chest pain, uncommonly large appetite, shortness of breath or faintness, contact a physician, Animal Control and the police immediately. Furthermore, don't panic. The city is giving this their top priority and specialists are being called in to address the situation.

"Um… Update, strange large spiderlike creatures with long, prehensile tails have been discovered next to the deceased bodies of homeless men and women all around the city. The homeless have the same marks on them as all the others. This has been upgraded to an infestation. We repeat that while you should not panic, we are requesting that all citizens stay indoors if possible and be alert for any unidentified creatures, large or small." The newscaster said.

Ian's chest was rising and falling rapidly, his eyes bulging, gagging on nothing.

"Hey, Dad… You alright? Choking on the huge bites you were taking? Dad?"

"Finny! Get to your mom right now! Get out of here! I don't want… GHAAAACK!" Ian heaved, nearly throwing up from the pain. Finny however hurried over to Alice and pushed her back from their father. He didn't know what was going on, but it couldn't be good.

Blood was blossoming from their father's chest. Alice was sobbing now, screaming for her father to stop teasing them. He had always had a good sense of humor, and was able to relate as much to Lizzie's gallows humor as to Alice's love of puns and one liners. Alice couldn't believe that this man, now thrashing mindlessly on the floor screaming in unimaginable pain was her father. Sammy came running into the room with Lizzie fast in tow.

The three children were now together, unable to tear their eyes away from the horrific scene that was unfolding before them. Sammy was holding Lizzie back from running to her father to try to help him. She wanted to be able to tell him at least one more time that she loved him. That she hadn't meant what she said. It was too late, though. A horrible, wormlike creature tore its way out of Ian's chest, looking around, presumably to see if it was safe and scurried out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"NO! Daddy! Daddy! No! You can't take him away! He's not dead! He's not! He's not! He's not! Daddy! Please, wake up!" Lizzie cried, shaking her father's lifeless body.

"I'm sorry I said those things to you! I'll do whatever you say if you'll just wake up! Please" She pleaded. Sammy didn't know what hurt more. Whether it was seeing their daughter so upset or seeing her husband's mutilated body being carried out in a body bag, she couldn't keep from crying herself.

What was even more frightening was that she was pregnant right now with their next child. They had always agreed they wanted four children. She wasn't showing it yet, but she had suffered morning sickness, it had been over a month. It wasn't likely this was a false alarm. She was hoping for another boy, but she would be happy with whatever she got. She only hoped that she could raise the child in a safe environment. Suddenly, with Ian dead she wasn't sure she was ready for another child.

"You'll be able to help Daddy, right? You can fix him up, right?"

"Fix him?" The mortuary worker asked, looking irritated at the girl screaming at him. He had been up all night, and it looked like he was going to be up all night again. "His chest has just been torn out from the inside! By definition, he can't be fixed! Please move so I can get him out of here. We need to clear the building so the CDC can scan the place and hopefully find whatever it is that came out of your dad…

"Listen, sweetie… I'm sorry about your father. I'm sure whatever this whole thing is, your father was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn't do anything wrong, and you certainly didn't. Excuse me. We need to get going." The man said, seeming to feel guilty about snapping at the girl.

"Honey… Lizzie, come over here… Now, I've known your father for over 15 years. He wasn't angry at you. We were thirteen once, too you know."

"Yes he was! He hated me! I was so mean to him and I never got to apologize!" Lizzie sobbed. Alice hugged her sister tightly.

"It's alright Lizzie. It'll all be okay…"

"H-how? How can it possibly be okay? Daddy was just killed right in front of us!" Lizzie asked, her eyeliner running now, leaving dark streams on her cheeks.

"I don't know how." Alice said. "But Mommy is still here. Finny is still here. We're still a family." Alice said, sounding more confident than she felt. Something horrifying had just happened, and she couldn't explain it but it scared her. What had caused that monster to burst out of their daddy's chest like that? Suddenly, they were taken by some men in large Hazmat suits and oxygen tanks on their backs.

"You need to leave the building. We'll tell you when you're cleared for reentry. You should take a few necessities and leave. We're sorry about your situation, but right now containment is our first priority." A tall man with a deep, gravelly voice said.

"How long will it take to clear the building?" Samantha asked, tears still threatening to spill from her eyes.

She felt like she was dreaming, like this wasn't really happening or like she was watching herself from above. It felt so bizarre, so utterly unreal like the unwinding of a fantastic science-fiction or horror movie that she couldn't quite understand the point of. Her body was shaking violently, she could barely breathe. She needed to be strong right now for her children. She knew they couldn't do this on their own. But how could she be strong when she felt so weak and helpless?

She had just watched her husband of eighteen years die in the most brutal fashion she could imagine right in front of her. Their children had seen it happen. Their daughters were horribly traumatized by the situation, especially Elizabeth, who was still on her knees, sobbing and begging for forgiveness from a man who obviously wasn't there. Her sister was trying to comfort her, but for all the response she was getting, she may as well have been invisible.

"We'll get someone to take care of the four of you until we're sure you're alright. We need to scan the four of you as well to make sure you aren't infected as well."

"W-w-w-what… What… What… In… Infect…" Samantha gasped, unable to form full sentences.

"What if one of us is infected? What then?" Finnian asked in their mother's place. Suddenly, his fear seemed to have been pushed to the rear.

He was still terrified. But clearly someone needed to speak on their behalf. Normally it wasn't the eight year old's job to do that. But nobody else was able to.  
"Well… You'll be quarantined with anyone else we suspect of being infected. Don't worry. We won't kill you. You'll be taken to an airtight chamber… We aren't suffocating you. Oxygen will be poured into the room and we'll wait out the situation.

"There are already about twenty other people at the location. Don't worry. It's a non-invasive procedure to see if you're infected. Just an X-Ray of your chests and we'll be done. My associate will take you down to a portable X-Ray we have in the lobby. Grab what you need and go down with him." The boss said. Sam nodded, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated, still trembling from head to foot. She walked around the apartment in a daze, getting what they needed to wait out the quarantine.

After about ten minutes, she had two bags full of clothes, toiletries and other necessities and they were escorted down to the lobby and waited in line for about an hour before they were cleared as clean.

"Mom…" Finnian said. "We're going to be alright."

"I sure hope so. With another child on the way, I'm not so sure, though. Maybe we could go live with my parents in Hyde Park."

"It will be alright, Mommy…" Alice said, hugging Sam. "My stories always say that if you believe, everything will be fine in the end." This seemed to be the last straw, though. Sam had been struggling between rage and near catatonic shock for the past two hours and finally, she broke.

"NO! Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!" Sam yelled, slapping Alice.

"This isn't one of your stupid Disney movies! We can't just click our heels and expect a prince to show up and rescue us!" She screamed, her eyes wide with rage.

"Alice nearly fell over when Sam yelled at her. Their mother never raised her voice. She was always so calm and collected. This wasn't right.

"I-I-I'm sorry… I was just… Alice muttered.

"Hey! She was just trying to help you!" Finnian shouted angrily.

"What can any of you do? Can you bring Ian back? Can you support our family on a piano teacher's salary? Can you make sure we're able to keep our home! I… I'm sorry… I just… I… Hey, taxi! Sam called. A van pulled up to the curb.

"How much to get to Hyde Park?" She asked.

"150 dollars. But you'll be better off taking the train.

"Traffic out of the city is madness tonight with the infestation. I'll take you to the train station… It's on me. You guys look like you've been through a lot already."

"Thank you. Kids, we're going to Grammy and Grampy's house."

"At some point, we still need to discuss the vicious beating you just gave Alice…" Elizabeth said, seeming to have come back to the world a bit since the event that set this all off. Sam rolled her eyes. She had hardly beaten Alice. Her reaction had been over the top and inappropriate. But she had not beaten her daughter and certainly not 'viciously' as Elizabeth had so dramatically stated.

"We do need to talk about that. I'm so sorry it happened. Right now, we just need to get somewhere safe. Make any calls you need to make. You can use my phone." Sam said. Elizabeth grabbed the phone first and dialed up her boyfriend. He had the most amazing ideas. Even his phone number was so dark. 666-6666. Sam rolled her eyes when she saw Loki's cell number. It was almost a little bit hilarious.

"Hello? Loki speaking."

"Nicholas… It's Elizabeth."

"Lilith… My Dark Mistress… The night beckons for you, yes? I have told you to call me Loki!"

"Um… About that… My Dad died… he was killed by one of those weird things that burst out of people's chests lately. We're going to my grandparents' house for a while.

"It was one of my dad's last wishes that I end my relationship with you." Elizabeth said, tears flooding her bright green eyes. "I… I owe him that much at least after the way I treated him. I-I'm… B-breaking up… with you." Elizabeth sobbed. Alice, Sam and Finny were stunned into silence by this. They had never expected her to actually break up with him.

"I see… The forces of the universe have conspired to keep us eternally apart… I didn't expect that even someone as powerful as you could defy the will of the Almighty Cosmos. Stay safe, Lizzie."  
"Y-you too… Loki… Please don't let yourself get taken by those monsters…" Elizabeth muttered, hanging up and whispering that she loved him one last time. She handed the phone to Alice, who called her best friend.

"Hey! Katie! Wendy! Janie!" Alice said animatedly as the three girls picked up their phones. They were supposed to be having a sleepover that night. But for obvious reasons, Alice had missed it.

"Alice! What happened? The three of us were so worried about you! Are you alright, girl?" Wendy asked. Alice shook her head.

"My Daddy was killed tonight…" She said to collective gasps from the three friends.

"What happened? Burglar?"

"No… Wormlike monster… It ripped out of his chest and he died."

"Oh no! Your father too? Didn't you hear? Mrs. Ludman was killed by one of those things! The city is panicking! My mom and dad refuse to run, though!" Kate said.

"My dad is a Marine… He's not leaving either." Wendy said, seeming dismayed about that.

"Mommy, Lizzie, Finny and I are going to our Grammy and Grampy's house in Hyde Park now. We're heading into the train station. Finny's gonna want to make his phone call. I love you girls. I want you to survive! I want to see you again when I get back to the city!"

"'Course we're gonna survive!" Jane said with a laugh.

"Ain't no parasite could take me!" She added. The other two added their assurances and the three hung up. As they headed for the train to the Poughkeepsie station, Alice handed Finny the phone. He dialed a number and waited while it rang.

"Um… Who is this?"

"Hey… Jake… It's Finny. Our dad died and we're heading to Hyde Park for a while. Not sure when we'll be back."

"Oh… Alright… Well… Martial arts won't be the same without you. But enjoy your time out of the city. D'ya have your phone? Will you still be Pokewalking and whatnot?"

"I suspect all three of us will be. New gyms and Pokestops and all that." Finny said. "I'll miss going on Pokewalks with you, though. See ya later. Ya better make it through this infestation! I'll never forgive you if you die on me!" Finny demanded. Jake laughed derisively at this.

"They can't kill me! I'll just karate chop them to the face and they'll run in fear!" He said. Finny wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't say anything.

The two ended their conversation and he handed the phone to Sam, who dialed up her parents. Sam's mother answered.

"Hello, Samantha, dear… It's been a long time since you've called." She said slowly. Sam nodded.

"Yeah… Um… My husband was just killed. Have you been watching the news about the infestation in New York?"

"Oh, of course… How awful… The CDC doesn't even know what the disease is that's spreading."

"They actually doubt it's a disease, now. They're looking at different types of parasitic animals, but the creature that came out of my husband's chest doesn't look like any animal I've ever seen. Dozens of homeless people have been killed, and the CDC hasn't caught any of the animals. Apparently they tried, but it spat acid at them and fled into the sewers."

"Oh my goodness! My great-grandfather used to tell stories about great hunters who used the earth for a place to hunt the greatest prey in the universe, an insect-like species that had acid for blood. Maybe this could be that. My great-grandfather was very superstitious. He called the hunters godlike aliens with powers beyond our comprehension, but he said that he came across one in his childhood. He may have been exaggerating. He may have been making it up, but he had many details.

"Well… You can tell the CDC if you like. We have their number. I don't know if you should expect them to believe you, though. Usually stories about aliens and supernatural beings just go completely ignored."

"Oh, I know, sweetie. So what's up? Why are you calling out of the blue like this?"

"Our apartment's been quarantined. We're on the train, coming to Hyde Park for a while and I wondered if we could stay with you for a little while."

"Of course, dear. We're more than happy to have you for as long as you need to stay."  
"Thank you… This has been a trying evening. We're boarding the train to Poughkeepsie now. We should be there in about an hour and a half." Sam said, feeling exhausted as she sat down on the train. Almost immediately, she fell asleep. She was more tired than she was upset and she slept for almost the entire trip. About halfway through, she started tossing and turning.

"Mommy's having a nightmare." Alice said, changing seats and cuddling up next to Sam. She didn't know why she thought that would work, but for some reason, Sam's tossing seemed to stop and she rested easy for the rest of the trip. Finally, Lizzie woke her up as they pulled into the station.

"Huh? What? Oh… Lizzie… We're… We're here?" Lizzie nodded and the four got off the train.

Heading up the stairs into the main station and out to the lobby, they saw two older people, who looked up at them and smiled.

"Sammy… It's so good to see you again. You don't visit us nearly enough… And our grandchildren are getting so big… You two must be thirteen now, right?"

"Yes, Grammy…" Alice said, not feeling as happy as she looked.

"I know you've had a very hard evening. Let's get you back to our house and you can get to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Good night, Lizzie… I hope you sleep well…" Alice said, sighing tiredly and closing her eyes. Elizabeth couldn't even close her eyes, though. Every time she did, she saw that little monster ripping itself from her father's chest. She heard his screams. She felt the terror that was coursing through her as he screamed and sobbed in agony with blood spurting from his chest, and worst of all, she heard herself telling him that she hated him right before he died.

IF she had been able to have a civil conversation with him and he died, she might have been able to handle it. But she had hurt him and she never got the chance to apologize. She had wanted to immediately after she said it. But she had been too proud to admit that she was wrong. He didn't even yell at her. He didn't even tell her that he hated her, too. She was sure he did, though. How could he not? She had said something so horrible to him and now she couldn't even apologize.

Tears were flooding her eyes again. She couldn't sleep. She had been lying in bed for over three hours by what the clock said and she wasn't able to sleep at all. She tried to close her eyes a few times and at least rest them. But they seemed glued open. As soon as she tried to close them, they popped right open again. Finally, she got out of bed and shuffled downstairs in a bit of a daze. She was exhausted, but she knew she couldn't sleep.

Even if she got to sleep, nightmares would just wake her right back up. She walked into the living room where Sam was sitting on the couch. Her mother turned around and smiled tiredly at her.

"Oh, Lizzie… What are you doing up? You should be resting."

"I can't sleep. Every time I try, I see that monster ripping itself from Daddy's chest. I like horror stories, but somehow when it happens in real life, it's not as much fun." Lizzie replied.

"Well… Why don't you come sit down with me for a while? We can talk… Or just, sit here if you prefer. I'm not really sure I would know what to say if we were talking."

"Y-y-you're angry at me… Too… A-aren't you? You hate me, too? I said something I can never take back now and now everyone hates me…" Lizzie muttered, turning to walk away. Sam leapt over the back of the couch, hurrying over to Lizzie and hugging her.

She had been in gymnastics when she was younger, and even now she was pretty flexible and limber.

"Lizzie… Sweetie… I'm not angry at you, and I don't hate you. And if I know your father as well as I think I do, he wasn't angry at you either. He loves you."

"Thanks, Mommy." Lizzie said, sitting down on the couch, curling up against Sam. Sam smiled gently as Lizzie just lay there.

Even with Lizzie's intense personality, she was a sweet girl. Sam found herself stroking Lizzie's hair as she began to nod off. Lizzie was more exhausted than she had wanted to think. It was sweet to think that she just couldn't go to sleep on her own. Sam really couldn't sleep either. She was still too wound up from the evening she had. She hadn't eaten, but she wasn't really terribly hungry after the bizarre horror she had seen that night.

She wasn't even sure she wanted to go back to New York with the infestation as it was. She couldn't stand the idea that her son or her daughters could get infected. There were schools up in Hyde Park. They could easily transfer for a little while, once they had time to process what had happened of course. And in a way, she had wanted for a long time to move out of the city. She had friends there, but it wasn't the best environment for her kids… At least in her opinion it wasn't.

She was sure that she could get a job out in Hyde Park if she wanted to and that they could restart life as far away from the city as possible. She hoped it would help the children cope with the trauma they faced to be far from the bustle of the city, but in a familiar place.

Eventually, Sam's thoughts slowed and she fell asleep, still holding her daughter close to herself. Next thing she knew though, she was woken up by ear piercing screams. At first, they seemed far away, but then she realized that they were right next to her. Lizzie had woken up with a nightmare.

"Lizzie! Sweetie… It's alright… It's alright… You're safe, sweetie… It will be alright…" Sam whispered, stroking Lizzie's hair to calm her down.

Lizzie clutched her mother tightly, holding on like she would lose her if she ever loosened her grip.

"Please! Don't leave me!" Lizzie begged as her grandparents, Alice and Finnian all trudged down the stairs, having also been woken up by her screams.

"It's alright… I won't leave you. You were just having a nightmare. Everyone's here for you. See? Grammy and Grampy… Alice… Finny… I'm here."

"I-i-it was so cold… S-so dark… Everything hurt… My whole body was in unimaginable pain… Those monsters were crawling all over me, biting me and crawling down my throat and ripping themselves out of my chest like Daddy! I-I-I was so scared, Mommy!" Lizzie sobbed, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. She could feel her whole world spinning around her, and finally, she collapsed, her vertigo getting the better of her and… Bleuurgh… She threw up all over the floor, her stomach heaving.

She hadn't eaten dinner that night, so there was really nothing to come back up. In a way, that made it worse, though. It was painful all over again. She was exhausted, but so wired that she knew she couldn't go back to sleep. Tears still flowed freely down her cheeks as Alice climbed onto the couch and hugged her sister.

"It will be alright, Lizzie… I'll never leave you."

"Y-y-you b-better not… Be… Lying…" Lizzie gasped, hardly able to keep her thoughts straight in her head, much less put them in words.

"Of course not." Alice said. Everyone had always said that Lizzie and Alice were much closer than siblings normally were. There was an unspoken bond between them.

No matter how different they were, they had an unconscious understanding of each other. A therapist had said that sometimes twins are extremely close, though psychology hadn't satisfactorily discovered the cause, so they really only had theories, none of which were widely accepted as fact. Loki had called it Twin Telepathy. But they didn't know what the other was thinking or even where the other was. They just had an intuitive bond.

Somehow, Alice's reassurances were more comforting than their own mother's. Eventually, Sam saw that Alice had everything covered and got up to make some tea. If they were going to be up anyway, they might as well have something warm to drink to calm them down.

"You should go back to bed, Alice…" Lizzie said. "There's no reason both of us should be tired tomorrow." Alice laughed.

"I'll be fine. I'd rather make sure you're alright. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway." Alice said, yawning and turning on the TV, flipping through the channels to find something they could both enjoy. Finally, she settled on a Disney movie, Little Mermaid. It had some dark moments, but overall it was a lighthearted movie. Lizzie wondered what Little Mermaid was doing on at 4 in the morning. But it was just beginning and they sat and watched it together.

"It's good to see you again, sweetie… I'm sorry your visit had to come under these conditions." Sam's mother said. Sam sighed, handing Lizzie and Alice a cup of tea each.

"Careful… They're hot."

"Yeah, mom… That's what tea is. Hot." Lizzie said sarcastically. Alice rolled her eyes and thanked their mother as Sam sat back down next to Lizzie.

"Listen, sweetie… I know you're feeling guilty… I said some things to my parents when I was younger that I wish I could take back. But your father was never angry at…"

"What would you know!" Lizzie suddenly screamed, tears flooding her eyes again. You couldn't even keep Daddy from working in a place where he ended up being infected with a parasite that fucking KILLED HIM!" Lizzie rage.

Standing up suddenly, slamming her cup on the table, she stormed out of the room.

"Lizzie! Wait!" Alice protested, trying to grab her sister's arm, only to be rebuffed with a frenzied strike to her face as Lizzie stomped back to hers and Alice's room while Alice just sat on the floor, dazed from being attacked by her sister. She had never seen Lizzie so angry.

Sometimes, Lizzie got moody and refused to talk to people. She was a quiet person in general. But this sudden rage reaction was completely new. She had been angry earlier that evening when their father was trying to keep Lizzie and Loki apart. But this was different. It felt different. Her emotions back then were bright and flickered like a dying light. Now, her emotions just felt nauseous, like she had just drank sour milk and was about to throw up.

She usually had better control over her half of their bond. But Lizzie's feelings had suddenly overwhelmed her. For a second, she couldn't even tell whether she was herself or if she was Lizzie. The confusion had passed as soon as she felt it, but the inability to distinguish herself from someone else was very upsetting, and she could feel tears flooding her own bright blue eyes. Sam looked over at Alice, seeing her fear and sitting down next to her.

"What's wrong, Alice? I'm sure if we give Lizzie a little time, she'll…"  
"I _was_ Lizzie…" Alice whispered.

"What?" Sam asked. That was new to her as well.

"F-for a second there, Lizzie's feelings overwhelmed me so much I couldn't tell myself apart from her." Alice muttered.

Sam had known for a long time that Lizzie and Alice had a close bond and sometimes experienced the other's emotions. But this was on a whole different level. She nodded.

"Well… Sometimes, people are born uniquely sensitive to the emotions of others. They're called empaths and Highly Sensitive People.

"It's not typical for an Empath to awaken as a teenager, but sometimes a highly emotional event, like the ones you experienced tonight could cause such an awakening."

"Mommy… What are you talking about?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is this some weird Hippy stuff?" She finished. Sam laughed.

"No… It's a spiritual connection to the feelings and emotions of others. I don't know if your experiencing of others' emotions will stop after this. Maybe it will stay restricted to Lizzie's emotions. Or maybe you'll begin to be able to feel other people's emotions as well. No matter what happens, we'll help you through it and I'm sure Lizzie will, too. She didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know… I… Can't be angry at her."

"That's very mature of you." Sam said, hugging Alice and helping her stand up.

"No, I mean I can't. It would be like being angry at myself. I experienced her feelings as my own. It's hard to be angry at someone when you're still trying to process how you understand what they're feeling so well." Alice said. "I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted too, now."

She dumped her tea and washed out the cup, heading back upstairs, climbing into her bed. After a moment, Lizzie spoke up.

"I'm sorry I hit you, Alice…" She muttered. Alice sighed.

"I'm not angry, Lizzie… I was you for a second there. You screamed at me and you were so angry that suddenly I became you."

"Um… What?" Lizzie asked, sitting up and staring at Alice with a raised eyebrow.

"I… Can't explain it. Mommy said that I had an empathic experience, that your emotions flowed into me because they were so intense. I must not have been able to separate my own emotions from yours because of a lack of experience or something.

"I know this seems weird, would you mind if I slept in your bed with you, Lizzie?" Alice asked. For some reason, she wanted to be close to Lizzie right now. People often said it was weird how close Lizzie and Alice were. They finished each other's thoughts sometimes and often held hands when they were together. They were closer than any two siblings should be, people said. Even therapists said that they were uncommonly close even for twins.

They had been interviewed before on the exact nature of their relationship, but when neither gave any sign of anything untoward going on, they were released with minor skepticism and neither of them ever quite figured out why people thought they shouldn't be as close as they were.

"I'd like that." Lizzie said. Alice stood up and walked over to Lizzie's bed, climbing in and hugging her sister close to her. After a while, they both fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lizzie yawned and stretched as she opened her eyes, noticing that Alice had already gotten up. She actually hadn't had any more nightmares after she went to sleep with Alice there. She felt better for some reason, lighter. Walking downstairs, she saw sitting on the couch, watching the news.

"Hey, Lizzie… You feeling better?" Alice asked. Lizzie nodded.

"Tell me again about what happened with you becoming me? Because I'm still a little bit lost on that front." Lizzie said. Alice shrugged.

"I'm not really sure either. I only know what Mommy told me. Pay attention to the news, Lizzie."

" _Compelling story… Whatever this pathogen is in New York, it's crossed species lines and is affecting animals as well as humans. We've found a strange sight in zoos, in back alleys and in homes even. Animals have turned up dead with their chests ripped out like the rest of the victims. Unfortunately, whatever creature is coming out have not been found. However, the number of attacks in the city have increased, and it's not just people with their chests ripped out anymore._

 _Some have giant holes in their heads as though a creature tore it open. Hundreds of disappearances are occurring daily and though police are searching frantically, they cannot find a trace of these people. Citizens are being encouraged to leave the city and remain outside until such time as the infestation has been eradicated._

 _We take you to the Tappan Zee and the Brooklyn Bridge, both of which are filled to gridlock. Toll booths going out of the city are slowed to a crawl and airports are so full that customs and security had to double their on-call staff to make sure that all passengers make their flights. Only one man in the city can ever remember such a large mass exodus from the city. We're interviewing him today. Hello, Mr. Oden… You're 120 years old, right?"_ The newscaster asked.

" _Ah? You'll need to speak up a bit, missy!"_ The old man said. The woman spoke louder.

" _You're 120 years old, right?" She asked. The man fiddled with his hearing aid and nodded._

" _122 this December…" Mr. Oden said cheerfully._

" _So… You said you remember a time when people were leaving the city like this, right?"_

" _Yes… Back in 1910… It wasn't known at first what was happening, but people were dying in brutal fashion in a similar way to what's happening now. Some people claimed to see eight foot tall creatures built like Panzers fighting with black dragonlike beings. After the initial panic and evacuation, not much was heard until it was reported that there was a huge explosion in New York._

" _When people got back, buildings were destroyed by what looked like combat, but trees, animals and other plants were devastated. Carcasses were littering the streets and the parks. Nobody knows what exactly happened back then, but stories about an alien race of big game hunters started to come out. The stories went that they used humans to breed the ultimate prey and in doing so, started the hunt. We were cattle to them, but we weren't the ultimate goal._

" _Those dragons were. There were no corpses of any aliens left when we got back. People searched through the sewers to the basements to the caves in Central Park. Nothing was left. Whoever those aliens were, they cleaned up well after themselves. That was about 100 years ago. Maybe they're back. If that's the case, all we can do is get out of their way while they fight their own private war."_

" _Thank you, Mr. Oden. You heard it here first. The CDC has advised all citizens to evacuate the city. This has been Channel 12 News. Thank you and have a good day."_ The newscaster signed off on this note and the commercials came on. Lizzie sighed. She was suddenly exhausted again. She didn't want to do anything. Alice hugged her again.

"What was your nightmare about last night, Lizzie?" She asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Lizzie said, turning away from Alice. Alice sighed.

"Well… Alright. If you ever want to just talk to me… I'm always here for you…" She said. "Would you at least like to come on my Pokéwalk? I'm planning to break level 39 today. You're getting pretty close to level 40, right, Lizzie?" Elizabeth sighed.

"Fine… I guess I can put on sunblock and go out… Maybe it will make my world a little less unbearable." She muttered, going to her bag and pulling out the suntan lotion, going into the bathroom and applying it to most of her body. She was very fair skinned and burned easily, especially on days like the one they were experiencing where there was absolutely no cloud cover.

When she was done, she got her cell phone and her portable charger and told Sam that they were going out.

"Alright… Take Finny with you… He wants to meet the locals." Sam said. Lizzie sighed dramatically, but Alice sat down, waiting for Finny to get ready.

"Seems like the town is pretty Valor heavy." Alice said. Lizzie looked at the gyms and nodded.

"Yeah… Well, I guess we'll be turning this town upside down then." She said with a weak laugh.

Finally, they were outside and walking around in the warm mid-spring air.

"So… What level are you, Finny?"

"I'm up to 32!" He said proudly. Alice smiled. "That's great."

"It's not great. You're both at least 38."

"It's not a competition, Finny. We're just siblings. The fact that we're all on the same team just means that we can all fill a gym together. We don't have to compete over levels." Alice said. Alice said nothing, putting on a pair of sunglasses so that nobody could see the dark circles under her eyes. As they were turning the corner, they were accosted by some neighbors.

"Hey! Hey, wait! You guys're new here right? We heard that some people came to visit the Brewsters late last night. Ízzat you three?"

"Yes… My name is Alice McCray, this is my sister, Lizzie and this is our younger brother, Finny."

"Nice to meetcha! You guys talk funny… Where ya from? England?"

"Mm… Other direction actually. We're from New York. We were born in the Bronx so we still have a bit of that accent." Finny said cheerfully, shaking the kids' hands, gripping tighter than he really needed to.

"Whoo… For such a little guy, you've got quite a grip on ya! You three here to stay?"

"For a little while anyway. I'm not sure when we're going back, but for now they've recommended that everyone in New York leave." Alice said. The three boys looked at Lizzie who continued to remain silent.

"She doesn't talk much, does she?"

"She's… Very quiet with people she doesn't know yet." Alice said. Lizzie was actually kind of shy with strangers. She just didn't like people to know that and played it off as quiet and mysterious.

"Hey, Lizzie… My name is Dan… This is Ian and this is Nate…"

"Nice to meet you." Lizzie said, looking at them briefly and then looking away.

"So… This is the weekend… Are ya gonna be at school on Monday?" Nate asked. Alice smiled.

"I'm not sure. Which school would we be going to?"

"Well that depends on how old you are. You two look like you might be 12 or 13… Am I about right?"

"We're 13." Lizzie said."

"Oh… You'll be in the same class as us. We go to Haviland. And your little brother… He's… 9?"

"He's eight." Alice said, smirking at the growl that Finny gave off.

"Eight and a half!"

"Right… Eight and a half. So he's in third grade." Alice said.

"Oh! You Pokémon Goers? What level are you?"

"39…" Lizzie said.

"38." Alice added.

"32." Finnian said, seeming annoyed that he was so much lower than the girls.

"Ah, great… Your Team?" Ian asked.

"Mystic." The three said together.

"We're Valor… But don't let that fool ya'. We're actually pretty cool guys." Dan laughed.

"I'm sure you are." Alice said politely. "We have friends in the city from all three teams."

"We're goin' out to Vanderbilt and around Hyde Park to do some Raiding. Would ya care t' join us?" Dan asked. Lizzie nodded.

"I don't mind." The Goth girl said, turning and walking down the road.

"Um… Lizzie… You're going the wrong way. That'll take ya to Roosevelt." Nate said.

"Why don't you follow us?" Ian added.

"Oh…" Lizzie replied, turning around and following the rest of the group.

"We're meeting some friends of ours at the mansion. It's gonna be a big group. I hope you don't mind crowds.

"Lizzie'll pretend she doesn't mind. But crowds upset her. She's secretly really shy." Finny said with a smirk. Alice exclaimed irritably.

"Finny… Come on, you know Lizzie doesn't want people to know that." She said. Lizzie blushed, causing Alice to turn a faint shade of pink as well.

"Well, that's alright. These people are really cool. You don't have to talk to them if ya don't want to. But if you're coming to our school for the year, you'll be stuck with us for eight hours outta the day, so ya might as well make some friends. You're not too good for us country bumpkins, are ya? Ian asked.

"N-no… Of course not." Lizzie muttered nervously, any vestiges of her confidence draining out of her.

"Cool… Can ya take off your glasses?" Nate asked. Lizzie blushed again, taking off her sunglasses.

"Wow… You've got really pretty eyes. Why would you want to hide them?" Dan asked.

"None of your business. Can we go?" Lizzie asked, putting the glasses back on and following the three boys to the Vanderbilt Estate.

"Who's the girl with you?"

"Oh! This is my sister, Elaine." Nate said. She's a year younger than me. She's usually pretty talkative. I dunno what's goin' on."

"Is that perfume you're wearing, Lizzie? It smells good." She said with a bright smile that looked like it could light up an entire auditorium.

"Sunblock." Lizzie said. "I burn easily."

"But… You're wearing long sleeves and long pants… Actually, you look like you're dressed for a funeral… What's goin' on?"

"She's a goth… Come on, you've seen some of them at your school too."

"A few… I always thought they were kinda weird… Are you a death obsessed freak too, Lizzie?" Elaine asked.

"Sorry, Lizzie… She also never really learned manners." Nate said pointedly.

"I bet she just dresses like that so she has an excuse not to talk to people." Elaine said with a smirk.

"You know, I think I'm just gonna go home." Lizzie muttered, walking back to her own house.

"Lizzie, wait!" Alice said, starting after her.

"You know, Elaine. You can't just act like that towards people. Who cares what Lizzie dresses like? She's gonna be our neighbor… Why can't you just be polite to people! Get out of here! I didn't even want to bring you anyway!" Nate snapped angrily.

Elaine looked terribly upset, running off in tears. Nate sighed and headed over towards the Lawry house. The least they could do was apologize for Nate's sister's behavior.

When they got there, Nate knocked on the door. Sam's mother answered.

"Hello, Nathan, Daniel, Ian… How can I help you?"

"Is… Elizabeth here?" Nathan asked. Colleen shook her head.

"She's not really up for company. There was a tragedy in her family recently and I'm afraid as tough as she likes to act, she's a little bit fragile right now.

"I'm not sure what upset her so much, but… She's not really in any state to entertain right now. I can give her a message for you if you like."

"Well… It would be best if we told her ourselves…" Nathan said.

"C'mon man… Way Elaine treated her, what are the odds she's ever gonna even talk to us again, much less listen to an apology?" Dan asked.

"Could you just tell her that Elaine is sorry for what she said to her?"

"Oh, dear. What did Lainie say now?" Colleen asked.

"She may have said something more than a little bit offensive to Lizzie. Usually people don't react so badly to what Elaine says. Most of us just learn to ignore her. Maybe you could just tell Lizzie how bad we feel about all this?" Nate asked.

"Of course. I'm sure you'll see her. You've been following the news stories about the infestation in New York, right?"

"Oh yeah! Aliens and all that. Weird, weird stuff."

"Sammy and her kids came here to get away from all that."

"Wait… Grammy… I'll talk to them…" Alice said, taking the three boys outside and shutting the door.

"Listen. I'm sure she'd appreciate that you're apologizing for Elaine. She doesn't want to talk to you right now though. She didn't even want to come out in the first place. But I knew if I didn't make her get out, she would've just spent all day inside being miserable and hating herself. Now she's doing that anyway. So you three need to leave."

"Listen… I've tried to get Elaine to stop talking to people like that… Nothing works on her. Our parents have bribed her, grounded her, sent her to what I call 'princess school'. None of it worked. It's not my fault that she won't be nice to people!"

"You should've left her home then!"

"You think I didn't want to leave her home? My parents made me take her! She makes rude comments to everyone, she embarrasses me in front of my friends! She keeps me from making any new friends! I'd be happy to just leave her at home! Besides, how was I supposed to know that we'd be running into little Miss Sensitive on our walk!"

"Get out! Don't talk to me or Lizzie again!" Alice snapped, turning around and storming back into the house, slamming the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Hey, Lizzie… Are you alri… Scratch that, dumb question… Is there anything I can do?"  
"No… Just don't waste your day up here trying to help me feel better… Those boys really liked you. You should hang with them."

"Those boys are jerks… They can go suck whatever it is boys traditionally suck."

"Really, Alice… Don't keep yourself inside on my account. I'll just drag you down anyway." Lizzie muttered, tears flowing afresh.

"That's not true at all, Lizzie. You're my best friend. I wouldn't be able to have fun if I knew you were still so unhappy. What that girl said wasn't true at all."

"Maybe if I wore pink dresses and put bows in my hair, people would like me better… Maybe I could be as popular as you are."

"But that wouldn't be you. Why would you want to change yourself just because other people can't handle you being you? It's like that episode of the Loud House where Lucy dolled herself up to impress that boy and it turned out he had liked the gloomy Gothic her all along but was too shy to tell her.

"You can't live your life trying to please others. If you do, your life will be gone before you know it, and you'll never have done anything to make yourself happy."

"Sometimes I think you're a better philosopher than I am."

"Nah… We just follow different philosophies. You dig Nietzsche and I'm more of a… Well, I can't think of any optimistic philosophers… Most of them are so gloomy…" Alice said.

Lizzie laughed at this.

"Y-yeah… They are… Maybe you'll be the first existential optimist and I can say to all my gloomy, miserable friends in Los Angeles that that little ray of sunshine is my sister… Then they'll all abandon me, afraid they'll catch the happy from being associated with someone so close to someone happy."

"Was that a joke?"

"Well… Sort of. I think I'm starting to feel better now… Thanks Alice. How is it you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"Remember? I can read people's minds now… Ahaha! Just kidding… I don't care about the crush you had on your sixth grade English teacher either."

"What! How did you know about Mr. Bayard? You said you were joking about being able to read my mind!" Lizzie shouted angrily. She had never even told their parents about him. Mr. Bayard was before her Goth phase when she was just a fairly normal if slightly preppy girl. She wore skirts and tee shirts with flowers on them and she loved poetry. She was actually a lot like Alice back then. Her English teacher caught her attention because of his passion for the classics of English literature.

She had never told anyone but her very best friend at the time… Well, her best friend other than Alice. The two kind of had a falling out over a petty disagreement. Lizzie couldn't even remember what they were fighting over now. It was probably pointless to worry, though since they hadn't spoken to each other in almost two years.

"I can't read your mind. But I experience your emotions and sometimes I can interpret those… It's hardly mind reading… Look, I'm still getting used to this as well, so I hope you can cut me a little slack if I sometimes invade your privacy accidentally?"

"Sorry… I know this is probably really overwhelming for you. I know my emotions get pretty intense sometimes."

"A little… But that's alright. Your phone is ringing, Lizzie…"

"Whoever it is, I don't want to talk to them." Elizabeth sighed. Alice nodded, picking up the phone.

"Hello? Elizabeth McCray's phone, Alice McCray speaking. How can I direct your call?" Alice asked. She heard a sigh from the other end.

"Is Lilith available?" Came a deep, melancholy voice from the other side.

"Oh, Nicholas… Um… Lizzie isn't feeling very well right now. I can take a message for you if you like?" Alice said. Loki nodded.

"Alright… Just tell her that the thoughts of our Coven are with her." Alice said, shutting the door behind her and standing outside the room.

"That's very nice, Nicholas… Don't let our mom know that you're still pursuing her."

"The spirits told us that your parents are against our relationship. Maybe in a few decades or centuries, we can make another attempt… If she hasn't already been swept off this plane by spirits seeking her hand."

"Ahaha… You guys are weird. You know that's all bullshit, right? I mean, you can't really think that some dubious spirits are watching and actually give a shit what we do with our lives, right?"

"That's certainly the most prominent school of thought in today's world. Personally, I feel we've lost our connection to our spiritual past. Empaths like you are in short supply in modern day not because people are less empathetic, although they are but because we've lost our ability to connect with the Astral Plane and thus with each other. Empaths like yourself are simply people who exist on a slightly higher spiritual frequency.

"Whatever the cause of that higher resonance, you're able to sense other people's emotions."

"How did you know that I'm an Empath… Alright… Now you just went from weird to creepy. I'm hanging up now."

"You do what you have to do. I told you, we connect with the spirit world. It's not some bizarre voodoo mumbo jumbo. It's a legitimate spiritual connection.

"You'd have been more than welcome at our sessions if you were interested. We invited Lizzie and started to teach her Witchcraft."

"So, you're a warlock?"

"The term warlock is an offensive term used to decry witches in the Middle Ages. The term for a male Witch is just a Witch."

"Well… Whatever… I'll give Lizzie your message. I hope you stay safe, Nicholas. Have you gotten out of the city yet?"

"Yes… I'm all the way up in Canada. My mom's side of the family is from Regina."

"Regina… Where exactly in Canada is that? Is that like… Way up North?"

"No… It's in Saskatchewan, right above the northern border of the United States between Montana and North Dakota." Nicholas said.

"Alright… So do they speak with much of an accent there?"

"Not really… They speak slower and their 'oo's sound more like 'uh's but other than that, their accent is pretty similar to what someone from North Dakota would sound like."

"Cool… Lizzie is feeling kind of depressed right now, so maybe send some pictures from Saskatchewan rather than just 'thoughts and prayers'. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

"Maybe… Lizzie is very strong-willed. I'm sure she doesn't wanna hear from me." Nick muttered.

"You know, it's not just about you, Nick."

"Loki…" Nick corrected.

"I'm not going to call you that, any more than I would call Lizzie 'Lilith'. It's not about you. She just lost her father… She blames herself for his death. It's not anything logical. She did nothing wrong, but she said something hurtful to him before he died and she never got to apologize so to her, and she thinks he died angry at her. He wasn't angry at her, but try telling Lizzie that.

"She could use a distraction. As caught up in your gloomy, creepy vampire shit as you are, I'm sure you understand that… Right?"

"Yes… I'll take pictures for her. Regina isn't particularly beautiful, but there are some impressive mountains in this part of the country. Maybe she'll like them. I'm going out for a night hike. I'm gonna do a ritual under the Full Moon."

"Ooh… Sounds like fun… What are you gonna try to magick?"

"Well… It's a protection ritual for my friends… Hopefully it will protect Lizzie and her family and my friends, whether they remained in the city or not."

"That's good of you. You think it will work? Wouldn't it be more effective to just encourage them all to flee the city while this is being worked out?"

"You have too little faith in magic."

"And you have too much faith. Magic is like God… It doesn't exist. People put their faith in it because they don't want to put faith in themselves."

"Boy… I wonder if I was as cynical as you are when I was thirteen."

"I'm totally _not_ cynical! I'm practical. I use what I can experience to make decisions. I have to go. Lizzie needs me. I hope your protection ritual goes well. Goodbye Nick…" Alice said, hanging up and walking back into Lizzie's and her room. She sat down next to Lizzie, who was looking in a mirror.

"I think I'm gonna get my hair cut." She said. Alice smiled.

"What were you thinking?"

"Pixie Cut." Lizzie said. Alice grinned.

"You'd look good with short hair. Maybe you could donate the hair you have right now to Locks of Love.

"You have beautiful hair, and it's so long… But there's no reason to just throw it away."

"Alright… I guess I'll do that. How is Loki doing?"

"Nick is in Saskatchewan with his mom's family."

"Saskatchewan… I've always wanted to see Canada. I hope he enjoys living in a quieter environment. He was never terribly happy living in a loud city like New York."

"You really miss him, don't you?" Alice asked, putting a gentle hand on Lizzie's shoulder. The dark haired sister nodded.

"Yeah… I need to do my weekly peace and prosperity ritual… Would you like to join me? Another soul, especially one as powerful as yours wouldn't go amiss." Lizzie said, taking out some candles, incense and spices, and placing them in a small circle, lighting them.

"I guess so… Listen, I'm not sure I believe in this stuff. If it was supposed to work, wouldn't we have been safe from that insect creature that came out of Daddy's chest?"

"Magic doesn't necessarily work like that. It takes the big picture into account. Magic kept us from dying that night when the creature burst out. It protected us or at least me from being infected as well.

"Or maybe it did none of that and it will simply keep us from hurting financially now that Daddy is dead. It's not always entirely clear the exact effects of a spell. But Witches have faith that their magic has the effects that it's meant to have. It often doesn't do what we ask it to do, but as long as we're resolute in our request and not attempt`````ing to abuse it, it does what we need it to do." Lizzie said, finishing lighting the incense. Alice raised an eyebrow.

"I think I'd just get in your way. I don't believe in this stuff. It's different from being an Empath. To me, there is no God, there is no Santa Clause or Easter Bunny and there is no Tooth Fairy."

"I understand. If you'll excuse me, then. I like to do the ritual the same time every week." Lizzie said. Alice nodded and hugged Lizzie, kissing her on the cheek and walking out of the room, going back downstairs to watch television with her mom and grandparents.

"Is Lizzie alright?" Sam asked.

"She'll be alright. Those jerks just upset her. She's stronger than that, though. She'll make it through this all. She's upstairs lighting her candles and doing her weird Pagan rituals."

"That's nice…"

"Pagan rituals? You really allow your daughter to involve herself in Devil worship?" Elaine asked. Sam turned to her mother and shrugged.

"Well… She'll probably grow out of it. It's not Satanism. It's Wicca… I think. They venerate spirits and honor nature rather than a monotheistic deity like the Judeo-Christian one. Besides, she's thirteen. Do you really think we could stop her if we wanted to?

"Odds are, she'll outgrow it. But if she doesn't, she's not hurting anyone. It's a lot of lighting candles and incense, drawing magic circles with marker, wearing weirdly shaped pendants, and making sacrifices of cheap meat to spirits with names I can't pronounce. The worst she's ever done is cut her palm open. She said that the ritual required a small amount of bloodletting. I told her she wasn't to do that again, and as she hasn't come home with any suspicious cuts on her since, I assume she obeyed me."

"Alright… You're sure she's not worshipping Satan, though?" Sam's mother asked.

"She doesn't view in Satan in the same way the Abrahamic Religions view him. Some Wiccans do believe in Satan as a punisher and an antithesis to God, but not necessarily as the epitome of evil that you see him as." Sam said.

"I've heard her mention names like Artemis and Hecate. I looked them up, and they're female Greek deities. Hecate was the goddess of witchcraft, and Artemis was the goddess of the hunt." Sam said. Her mother nodded.

A while later, Lizzie and Alice came down and sat on the couch with their parents and grandparents. Sam smiled at Lizzie.

"So, how did your ritual go?" She asked.

"Oh, it went fine. It's nothing big. Just a peace and prosperity ritual."

"How does it work?"  
"Well, ideally, it would involve human sacrifice." Lizzie said. "The pain and suffering of the human being sacrificed transfers its remaining luck to the ritualist and grants prosperity."  
"Lizzie!" Sam protested. Lizzie and Alice both laughed.

"Take a pill, mom. It's a joke." Lizzie said.

"The exact way that it works is sometimes a mystery. You just have to have faith that it will work where and when you need it to. It's kind of like your faith in God. You don't know exactly why he does what he does or where and when he'll do it. But you have faith that it's for a greater purpose that you can't necessarily see. I need a haircut." Lizzie said. Sam nodded.

"Alright… What were you thinking? Just a trim, or did you want to get it cut short? You've got beautiful long hair, but I'm sure you'd look great with short hair as well."

"I want a pixie cut." Lizzie said. Sam looked confused for a moment.

"Mom, do you know what a pixie cut is?" Sam's mother shrugged. Sam took her phone and googled it, understanding dawning.

"Oh, okay. Well, it's just a haircut. If that's what you want, I don't see a problem with it." Sam said.

"Okay, but what is a pixie cut?" Sam's mother asked.

"Margaret? You've never heard of a pixie cut?" Sam's father asked. Margaret shook her head.

"You know? That actress we saw on the news last week had one." Margaret nodded.

"It's not very ladylike to have such short hair, Elizabeth. You have such beautiful hair. Why would you want to get it all cut off like that?" Margaret asked. Lizzie rolled her eyes. Her Grammy was a very kind woman, but her ideas about things like this were ancient.

"It's just hair. There's nothing special about it. It'll grow back." Lizzie said dismissively.

"Couldn't you at least wear the dress I bought you for Christmas that year?"

"First of all, I hate dresses. Second of all, I outgrew the dress six months after I got it." Lizzie said.


End file.
